What the Heart Wants
by Nicole Elisabeth Harding
Summary: After Brian lets Dom escape, his life falls apart and he's forced to go on the run with the rest of the crew. Most of them have found a way to forgive him for lying and accept him as part of the family. But it seems that trouble finds them no matter where they go. AU fan fiction.
1. Chapter 1

"Brian!" Mia called from the house.

I raised my head from where I was examining my engine. Dom looked up too and grinned.

"Looks like food prep is on you tonight," he laughed.

"I'll talk my way out of it like I always do," I waved my wrench at him.

I jogged up the stairs and into the house to greet Mia. She seemed to be settling into our new life well enough. I knew that she missed her and Dom's old house and garage and family though. I hated that she had to uproot her whole life because of my actions. I guess it was partly Dom's actions too. But it didn't seem fair to Mia.

"Mia?" I called out.

"In the kitchen," she replied.

"What's up?" I asked, going to her side and kissing her playfully on the cheek.

"Dinner's almost ready," she said. "Do you want to go for a drive after?"

I put my arms around her waist and pulled her up against me. She put down the spoon she had been using to stir and leaned into my arms.

"Sounds good to me," I smiled.

"Go tell Dom and the guys to wash up and come to the table," she said, pushing me away a little bit.

"Is Tej back yet?" I asked.

"Yep, he's downstairs working with some of the equipment he picked up."

I gave her one more kiss and then went off to find everyone. Tej and Roman had been lifesavers, giving us a place to lay low in Spain until we figured everything out. They'd slowly been adopted into Dom's family just as I had been. As for the others, Vince we had to leave in the hospital to recover and last Mia had heard, he was in Mexico jacking cars and selling them. Jesse had recovered well enough from his bout with Tran and had escaped with us. No one had heard from Leon since he escaped after the last attempted heist. And Letty, as usual, was attached to Dom's hip. She'd become more quiet and moody since we'd gone on the run. Mia was the only one who could get her to talk, ever.

Mia was setting out dishes on the table as we all gathered. As soon as I sat down, Mia settled into my lap and smiled at me. I rested a hand on her hip and gazed around as the rest of them sat down. Letty brought out two beers for her and Dom before sitting next to him at the end of the table.

No one wanted to be the first one to reach for food. Dom looked around with a half smile on his face.

"I'll say grace," he said finally. "God, we thank you for the food we have before us, and for what family we have right now. May we always remember to be thankful for what we have. Amen."

We chorused our agreement and immediately reached for food.

"It's good food, Mia. Thank you," Tej said as he dug in.

"Any word on jobs coming up?" Dom asked, directing the question towards Rome and Tej.

"I might have something," Tej replied between bites. "I have to do some checking to make sure it's legit."

"Dom, you promised we would lay low," Mia protested. "We have enough money. Leave it be."

"We'll talk about this later," he said firmly. "I have my reasons."

Mia looked unhappy but she remained silent. I gave her hand a squeeze to reassure her. She handed me an open beer and then grabbed a roll from the table and started eating. The rest of the meal we all kept pretty silent. There was some talk about the cars that we were tuning up at the moment.

Jesse and Mia started clearing away dishes as soon as the food was gone. Letty and Dom led the rest of them out onto the porch to finish their beers. I stood in the front room, gazing out the window at the slowly setting sun. Minutes later, Mia joined me, wrapping her arms around me from behind and resting her head on my back.

"You ready?" she asked after a few moments.

"I'm driving," I said as we walked out to the street.

"What? Is my driving too rough for you?" she teased.

I released her hand as she climbed into my Skyline. I followed the street winding down to the beach and parked just where the concrete was overrun by sand. We both unbuckled our seatbelts and leaned back. Mia put a hand on the back of my neck, massaging gently. I leaned across and kissed her, but my heart wasn't in it.

"Brian, what's wrong?" she asked. "I can tell something's bothering you."

"I'm just still settling in," I said. "I need some time to get used to this."

"You threw away your whole life in LA to help my brother escape, and now you're a fugitive. If they ever catch you, you'll spend a lot of time in jail," Mia said. "I can't find a way to thank you for everything you've done and I hate seeing you unhappy."

"You don't need to thank me," I protested. "I lied to all of you. I'm surprised any of you can stand to have me around. I tore apart your family and it's my fault that you all have to be living on the run."

"Maybe Dom won't admit it outright, but it's his actions that got us all in this mess, including you," Mia replied firmly. "And you are part of our family now."

She was leaning in to kiss me when someone started shooting at us. Almost instinctively, I ducked and pulled her down with me.

"Brian, get us out of here!" she screamed.

"Stay down!" I yelled.

Keeping my head low, I put the car in reverse and ripped out of there. I kept looking in my rearview mirror, waiting for a posse of cars to be following us. But none appeared. Mia was still bent over in her seat, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She just kept staring.

"Are you okay?" I said louder.

She managed to nod. I screeched to a halt in front of our house and practically had to carry Mia in with me. She was shaking and nearly hyperventilating. I burst in the house yelling for Dom.

He came running. Letty was right behind him.

"Dom, we have a problem."


	2. Chapter 2

Dom and I talked for a long time before we finally decided what action to take. In the morning, we would move on. We had been semi-prepared for this, so most of our stuff was easily packed up overnight. Roman had some friends in the south of France who had arranged another safe house for us to lay low for a while. As soon as plans were made, I left to go see how Mia was doing. Jesse had made her go lie down upstairs and calm down. I had promised to join her as soon as I had sorted things out with Dom.

I found her curled up on the bed, staring at the wall. I slid off my shoes and climbed into bed beside her, holding her close in my arms.

"Mia, it's going to be okay," I promised. "I won't let you get hurt."

"I want to relax. I don't want to be constantly looking over my shoulder, never sure if someone's hurting my family!" Mia exclaimed. "I want to raise a family with you, Brian! But we're never going to be able to do that constantly running from people who are hunting us down."

"We'll figure out who's hunting us and figure it out together. I promise you that it won't always be like this."

"You can't promise me that, Brian," she said, rolling over to face me.

I gazed into her concerned eyes, just inches from my own. She laid her head down on the pillow and continued looking at me. I brushed her hair away from her face and pulled her closer.

"I'll do whatever it takes for us to be safe again," I whispered.

Soon after, her breathing slowed and she fell asleep. Dom came in a few minutes after that to make sure she was okay. I gave him a nod and he closed the door as he backed out. I held her in my arms the entire night, only falling asleep in the early hours of the morning. And soon she was waking me up, saying it was time to go.

Dom and Roman had already packed things in the cars. Tej and Roman shared a car. Letty insisted on driving her own. Jesse rode with Dom and Mia rode with me. Roman led the way since he knew where we were headed. Mia was silent for the entire trip, which took most of the day. I found myself almost constantly checking behind me to see if anyone was following. It would've made me feel better if I knew what we were up against.

"Brian, we're just about there," Roman said over the radios. "You doing okay?"

"Yep, how's everyone else?"

"We're good," Dom replied.

"No problems so far," Letty added.

Within the half hour, Roman had pulled into the driveway of a two-story, unassuming looking house. Dom parked behind him, leaving Letty and I to park in the street.

"Cover the cars," Dom ordered, tossing sheets at us when we got out.

Mia helped me pull the sheet over my car and then followed her brother inside. I helped Letty finish on her car and then we walked in together.

"I sent Mia upstairs to lie down," Dom said. "She wasn't feeling well."

I started towards the stairs but Dom stopped me. I looked at him curiously.

"Give it a while and then go, Brian. I think she needs some time to herself."

I nodded and backed away.

"We can start some dinner," Tej suggested to me. "I think there's some groceries in the kitchen."

"Your friends are the best, Roman," Jesse said, coming into the room with a bag of barbecue chips and a computer. "Nobody bother me for the next couple hours. I have some circuits to rework."

Dom laughed and went to toss his bags into a room. I followed Tej into the kitchen and we used our best man skills to work something up for dinner. Mia came into the kitchen after a couple minutes and pulled me away.

"Brian, can Tej finish without you?" she asked. "I need to tell you something."

"Yeah sure," I said. "Tej, don't burn anything, I have to step out."

"Very funny, man, very funny," he replied.

"Whatever. You know it's a possibility," I laughed.

Mia led me from the kitchen and out onto the empty front porch. She sat me down on the porch swing and then seated herself right beside me. She held both of my hands in hers and stared down at them. She looked really pale. I was worried something was wrong.

"Mia, what's up?" I asked. "Talk to me."

"Brian, I know things aren't exactly peaceful and settled right now but I really didn't choose this to happen right now," she said with a raw smile.

"Choose what?" I asked in confusion.

"Brian, we're going to have a baby."

She gazed at me nervously, afraid of my reaction.

"Are you kidding?" I said.

A big smile was already breaking out on my face. She started smiling as well.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this," she laughed.

"I can't believe this," I said, pulling her close. "This is like a dream come true."

"Oh good," Mia said. "I was worried you would be upset just because of our situation right now."

"I'm not upset," I told her. "We've got to get this mess figured out soon though. I don't want a baby to grow up in this."

"You'll keep us safe. You always do."

I kissed strongly and then found myself staring at her belly.

"You can't see it yet, Brian," Mia laughed.

"I know, but he or she is still in there."

"I wanted you to be the first to know, but we should probably tell Dom," she added. "Someone needs to watch your back while you take care of us."

"We will. Just let me enjoy this moment while it lasts," I said, kissing her again.

"Brian! Mia! Stop making out. Dinner's ready." Roman barely opened the door and inch and yelled out at us.

He disappeared as if he thought I was going to come beat him up. I just laughed and laughed. Mia eventually grabbed my hand and pulled me inside to the dinner table. Tej hadn't burned anything too badly. We settled down into chairs and before anyone could grab food, Mia offered to say grace. With a beaming smile on her face, she started speaking.

"We have a lot of be grateful for today. Our safe travel, a warm, dry place to stay, family, food, and the ability to work through any problems that arise, together, no matter how hard. Bless this food. Amen."

I looked up at her with a smile and kissed her on the cheek. No one seemed to notice this little moment between us. Everyone was busy with the food. Letty barely ate a few bites before standing up abruptly and disappearing upstairs. Dom looked after her with a frown but didn't follow.

"Talk to her after dinner?" I whispered to Mia.

She nodded with a concerned look.

"I'm setting a guard, trading off every two hours, just to be safe," Dom said. "I'll take the first watch. Everyone else try to get some sleep. I'll call if I need anything."


	3. Chapter 3

I woke in the middle of the night to find Dom standing over me.

"Brian, they're watching the house," he said in a low voice. "Take Mia and go. I'll distract them."

"What about the rest of you?" I asked, sitting up.

"We'll meet up with you later. You need to get Mia to safety."

"They're going to follow us," I said.

I pushed aside the covers and started pulling on a pair of jeans.

"You can lose them," Dom said. "Just go. Wait for my call."

I shook Mia awake as Dom left the room. I grabbed some clothes from her half-unpacked bag and tossed them to her.

"Mia, we've got to go, now."

"What's going on?" she asked sleepily. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just a precaution," I assured her.

She slowly woke up as she started putting on clothes. I threw everything into a bag and carried it down to the back door.

"Brian, take my car," Dom said from the front window where he was watching. "You can leave from the back."

"I can't take your car," I protested.

"No arguments, just go."

Mia came softly down the stairs and went straight into her brother's embrace.

"Dom, be safe."

"I will. Don't worry about me," he said firmly. "Keep yourself safe."

I put an arm around Mia and shouldered the bag. I led her towards the back door. She twisted around to look back at her brother.

"We'll see him when we meet up," I whispered. "Don't worry."

We ducked out the back and climbed into Dom's charger. Just as I was starting the car, I heard gunshots from out front. Sounded like our distraction. I revved the engine and zipped out the back end of the driveway. Mia turned to look back at the house before settling into her seat.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I think I know a good place to take refuge," I said calmly. "I have an old friend who's used to evading people."

"And the rest can join us later?"

"Everyone's going to be just fine," I promised. "How do you feel about Japan?"

Mia looked at me in disbelief. The windows were down and the wind was whipping her long hair across her face. I was overwhelmed once again by how beautiful she was.

"Can we get there safely?" she asked, pulling her hair out of her face.

"Dom had fake passports and ID's made for all of us."

Mia leaned over and kissed me quickly before letting me turn back to the road.

"I trust your decisions, Brian."

"Let's go find an airport then," I said, hitting the accelerator.

Mia managed to stay awake until we got onto the airplane. Then she fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. I called Han from the plane, just as we were taking off.

"Hey, man. How's it going?"

"Just keeping it exciting," Han replied. "What can I help you with, Brian?"

"I need a place to hide-out for a while. I've got some unknown enemies on my tail."

"I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate this. I owe you a favor."

Han laughed. "Be careful what you say. I might actually take you up on that."

"You know I mean it. See you soon," I said.

I couldn't sleep at all. My eyes were constantly searching the plane for anyone who might be a threat.

I woke Mia as the plane was landing.

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" she said.

"I'm fine," I told her. "We'll be safe with Han. His place is like a fortress."

"How do you know him?" she questioned.

"He was in the States taking care of some business when I was working on a case with the feds. Our paths crossed and we helped each other out. Ever since then, we've been calling each other for favors every now and then."

I collected the bag from the overhead bin and kept Mia close as we got off the plane. My eyes anxiously scanned the crowd of people waiting, trying to find Han. I assumed he would be coming personally. Then I saw another face I recognized.

"Gisele?"

I walked hurriedly towards her with an expression of disbelief.

"Brian," she smiled. "It's good to see you."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Han and I have been working together almost since you introduced us. We decided we have a lot of common interests and combined forces," she shared.

She still had her thick accent and incredible body. I didn't blame Han for wanting to keep her around.

"Gisele, this is Mia. Mia, this is another person who has helped me out on more than one occasion," I introduced them.

"Mia. Dominic Toretto's sister," Gisele said calmly. "It's a pleasure."

Mia nodded, still sticking closely to me. Gisele gestured towards the exit.

"Han is waiting back at his place. He had some business to finish up. He said to apologize for not meeting you personally," she shared. "I told him I was just as capable of keeping you safe."

"Thank you for meeting us," Mia said gratefully. "Brian's been really stressed out by everything. I think he could use a break."

"Don't worry," Gisele smiled. "Han will make sure he gets some rest."

She led us out to her car. She preferred imports to American muscle and apparently had spared no expense. Mia climbed into the backseat and I sat up front with Gisele.

"So you don't know who it is that is hunting you down?" Gisele asked.

"No clue," I said. "We were laying low in Spain after everything that went down in LA. We were fine for a while and then we started being attacked. Dom told us to get out while we could. They're going to meet up with us eventually."

"I'm sorry to hear about everything that happened to you," she answered. "Though I must confess I find it relieving that you aren't a cop anymore."

Mia laughed. "Don't we all?"

"I was undercover investigating Dominic when I met Mia," I explained.

Gisele pulled into a parking structure and went up two levels before parking. She led us towards the elevator. I noticed as she walked that she still carried two guns, one strapped to each leg, ready to be grabbed if needed. I could tell that Mia had noticed too, only it made her tense instead of relaxed.

We rode the elevator up another couple of floors and were greeted by Han as the doors open.

"Brian, welcome," he said, pulling me into a hug. "You'll be safe here for as long as you want to stay."

"Han, this is Mia," I introduced her once again.

"We've met before," Mia said suddenly.

I looked at her in surprise. Han nodded with a smile.

"Dominic Toretto's sister?" he laughed. "I remember working with him on several jobs when I traveled to the US."

"You worked with Dom?" I asked.

Han smiled at me mysteriously.

"I'm not a cop anymore, Han," I teased.

"He just needed help unloading some merchandise a few times and I am the best," Han explained. "I met Mia, Jesse, Letty, Vince, and Leon while working with them."

"Well you'll get to see some of them again if we meet up here," Mia said. "We were with Letty, Dom and Jesse on the run."

"Vince and Leon?" he asked.

"We haven't heard from them recently," Mia shook her head. "Things kind of fell apart in LA."

She leaned against me and I put my arm around her.

"Do you need to rest?" I asked quietly.

She nodded, looking a little pale. I exchanged a look with Han and he nodded. He led us to a large room that was already set up for us and then left us alone, promising to check in later.

"Brian, you should rest too," Mia said as she lay down on the bed.

"I'm not the one having a baby," I laughed.

I crawled in beside her and cradled her in my arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Dom called in the next morning. He sounded a little tense but assured me that everyone was safe.

"Did you find a place to take Mia?" was the next thing he asked.

"I took her to Tokyo," I told him. "I'm pretty confident that we're safe with Han. He's got practically an entire army protecting his place."

"You know Han?"

"Yeah I found out from Mia yesterday that you know him too. He's helped me out on occasion," I said.

I walked over to the window of our bedroom and peeked through the curtains. The sun was shining brightly outside, reflecting off the windows of surrounding skyscrapers. I was able to barely spot a couple of Han's men stationed around on the rooftops, keeping watch. Mia was still sleeping in the bed, oblivious to my conversation with her brother.

"We all split up to get out of there without being tailed. I'll send the message to everyone to make their way to Tokyo and meet up there," Dom said. "Just keep Mia safe. We still don't know who or what is after us so we can't really be prepared."

"I will. Just take care of yourself."

"You know I always do," Dom replied with a low chuckle. "Tell Han thanks for me. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Dom."

Mia started stirring as I hung up the phone.

"Was that Dom?" she asked sleepily.

"Yes, he was just letting me know that they all made it out safely. They're going to be meeting up with us soon," I explained.

I brushed her hair off her forehead and kissed her gently.

"Did you get any sleep?" she asked.

"Yes," I laughed. "Don't worry about me. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said, stretching and yawning.

"Stay right here," I said. "I'll go see what Han has for breakfast."

"Brian!" Mia protested. "I haven't done anything to deserve breakfast in bed!"

I laughed and ignored her protests. She stayed in bed though, as I walked from the room. The kitchen was attached to the room where we had entered from the elevator. Han and Gisele were sitting in two chairs facing the large expanse of windows. I felt it was too exposed, but I supposed that Han was confident in his protection. They still hadn't noticed me, so I watched for a moment as they interacted.

Gisele seemed more taken with Han than I'd ever seen her before. She'd had her fair share of men throughout the time that I'd known her. But I'd never seen her this attached. It was touching. I waited another few seconds before announcing my presence.

"Good morning!" I said cheerfully.

"Any news from the others?" Han asked, clearing his throat and moving away from Gisele a bit.

"Dom called to say that they all made it away safely. They split up."

Gisele nodded. "That's a wise plan."

"He was going to tell everyone to head towards Tokyo and meet up whenever they can."

"Well we have plenty of room here," Han said. "There's food in the kitchen if you and Mia are hungry."

"Mia still needs some rest, so I'll probably take something into her."

"We need to talk business sometime," Han said. "I have a few proposals for you. And Dom when he gets here."

I nodded. "Just not in front of Mia. She doesn't like hearing about it. If it's going to happen, she'd rather not know."

"Of course."

I moved into the kitchen and found some fresh fruit in the fridge that I thought Mia would eat. I also poured a glass of juice and made her a piece of toast. She was just barely sitting up when I returned. Her face lit up when she saw me. I sat with her while she ate, just to make sure she finished it all. Unfortunately, shortly after, she got sick and lost most of it.

I brought her a smoothie and she sipped it slowly. But she kept insisting she was fine and just needed to rest. So I left her alone in the room and went back out to Han and Gisele.

Gisele was just about to leave when I walked out.

"Where are you headed?" I asked.

"Letty called."

"I'll come with you," I said. "I need some fresh air."

"You can take the Scion," Gisele offered, tossing me the keys. "Stay close."

"Don't fall too far behind," I retorted.

"As if," she scoffed.

Han was watching from his perch by the window, snacking on chips like usual. He just smiled serenely at our argument. I liked to think that I was a slightly better driver than her or Han, but Gisele was definitely the best when it came to weapons and she could outshoot anyone in our group. We all had our specialties and sometimes they overlapped.

I stayed a couple feet in front of Gisele's car the entire trip to the airport. The only times she got in front of me were because she knew where we were going and I didn't. Letty was leaning against a concrete wall when we got there. Her beaten up duffel bag lay at her feet and she was chewing something. Gisele let me take the lead as we walked up to her, figuring that a familiar face would be less threatening.

"Letty?" I was cautious.

She'd been kind of off lately and I wasn't sure how she would react to me.

"Brian," she acknowledged. "Good to see you."

"Did you run into any trouble?" I asked.

"Nope. Those losers never stood a chance against my GT40. Did you and Mia make it okay?"

She pulled off casual swagger like no one else could.

"Mia's just worried sick. She's back at Han's place, resting," I explained. "She'll be glad to see you."

"How's the baby?"

I stared at her like she had sprouted two heads. I couldn't figure out how she knew. She just laughed at my expression. She shouldered her bag and started towards the cars.

"I'm not blind, Brian. And my sister was pregnant once. I know what it looks like," she said. "Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone else."

I couldn't think of anything to say to her. She laughed again.

"Are we going or what?" she demanded. "I don't think they followed us here, but I'd rather not take any chances standing here in the street."

Gisele nodded. "She's right. We'd better not stay here too long."

"You can ride with me," I offered.

"Just try to keep it low key," she retorted. "I don't want the police on our tail on top of everything else."

I laughed and hit the unlock button. I let Gisele lead the way back to the building and we parked side by side in the garage. Letty seemed to be calmly observing everything around her as we showed her around our temporary home.

Mia's door was closed, so Letty and I stayed away. She would come out when she was rested and ready for company. I worried that being away from Dom was taking it's toll on her. They were really close and she depended on him.

Letty remembered Han enough to be friendly when they were reintroduced.

"What deals are you running on the side nowadays, man?" she asked after they'd talked a bit.

I was sitting nearby at the counter, snacking on some of the available food. Han smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"You want in?" he asked. "I could use another couple of drivers. I was going to propose the idea to Brian here. It's a good way to make a little extra money and it will help if you're feeling bored."

"I've been bored ever since we went on the run," Letty smirked. "I thought being a fugitive was supposed to be exciting but it's all beer and barbecue. Not really my thing 24/7. I need a little excitement here and there."

I listened to her words thoughtfully. That could explain part of her moodiness the last little while. She and Mia couldn't have been any different. Mia preferred beer and barbecue with excitement being the rare occasion. She wanted her family to be safe. Unfortunately, I felt a lot of the same things as Letty. I missed the bullets. I missed the excitement of street racing. The adrenaline rush from doing stunts and hearing people cheer. I missed the danger. I knew that was wrong because eventually someone was going to get hurt, just like Vince when they were pulling off the jobs.

"What do you think, Brian?" Letty asked me.

I could tell that she knew what I was thinking.

"I'm in."


	5. Chapter 5

I swore, trying to swerve out of the way in time. The other car clipped mine at just the right angle to send it flipping through the air. It was one of those moments where a few seconds seemed like minutes, or longer. I let go of the steering wheel and tried to brace myself. There was no lessening the impact when my car landed upside down. I lay dazed in the wreckage, not even able to tell what parts hurt. My seatbelt had somehow been severed. The glass in all of the windows had shattered on impact and was scattered all around me. Out of the window I could just catch a glimpse of the car, stopped just a few yards from where I was.

"Brian!" I heard Letty yelling.

Her car had skidded to a stop further away and she was running towards me. I managed to kick the busted door out and start crawling onto the street. I winced and grabbed my shoulder which hurt like I'd broken it or something. I managed to drag one knee up and prepared to stagger to my feet. I barely heard Letty's warning two seconds before I was shot. I fell backwards onto the street and found myself staring at the sky, unable to move. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I heard Letty yelling at someone and then more gunshots. Han's face appeared above mine but I couldn't understand what he was saying. My ears were ringing. Letty and Han pulled me to my feet and managed to support me between them. Letty was returning fire, pausing every few seconds to fire back at our attackers.

For whatever reason, whether intentional or accidental, my car exploded. The force sent all three of us flying forward. I raised my head two inches from the ground and stared at the pieces of metal and burning pieces of debris that surrounded us. Han tried to crawl towards me. I couldn't see Letty. Someone dragged me to my feet and slung me over their shoulders, running towards a waiting car. Dom.

"Hold on, Brian," he said. "We'll get you out of here."

Letty had picked herself off the ground and was helping Han get to safety. Dom slammed the door and started the engine. I was barely aware as the car started moving. Dom was shouting something to me about putting pressure on the bullet wound. He reached over and shoved some cloth into my hands and pressed them to my stomach. I glanced down dazedly and saw the dark red stain in my shirt.

"I thought we agreed to lay low," Dom growled. "What were you thinking?"

I looked over at him, unable to think of anything to say. The crash must have scrambled my brains.

"Had to make a call," I choked.

I was thrown against the door as he whipped around a corner.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Dom ignored me and kept driving. I vaguely recognized the parking garage as he pulled in. He practically carried me into Han's place. Gisele took one look at us and cleared off the dining room table with one sweep of her arm.

"Lay him here," she ordered.

She pulled out her phone and spoke a few short words to someone.

"Han has a physician on call," she explained.

She pulled away the cloth from my wound and replaced it with a stack of towels.

"Keep pressure," she snapped at Dom.

I left bloody fingerprints on her arm as I grabbed at her.

"Don't let Mia see this," I pleaded.

She nodded and moved away as I released her arm. She disappeared into the other room for a minute and then reappeared.

"Dom," I said in a low voice.

"What, Brian?"

"There's something I need you to do for me, just in case I don't make it."

I was beginning to feel more and more light-headed and didn't know how much longer I could stay conscious and coherent. Dom just shook his head at me.

"Don't say that," he said gruffly. "You're going to make it."

"Just in case," I said again. "Mia's going to have a baby. I need to know that she'll be okay."

"Brian, you're not going anywhere," Dom said.

"Just in case," I said for the third time.

"I promise you that they'll both be okay," he said slowly. "But that is not giving you permission to die."

I managed a smile and nodded.

Everything after that point kind of became a blur. I know the doctor showed up. And Letty and Han made it back. I drifted in and out of consciousness and barely knew what was happening to me. When I finally was conscious enough to be able to take in my surroundings, I found that I was lying in a bed in one of Han's spare rooms. I pushed off the comforter and sheets and looked at the white bandage that was wrapped around my middle. There was a red stain seeping through. That worried me.

"Brian, what were you thinking?" Mia asked.

She was sitting in a chair by the bed, watching me with an expression that looked more upset than worried.

"You could've been killed," she snapped. "Did that ever occur to you? Did you even think about what would happen to me and our baby if you died?"

"Mia, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't think anything would happen. I'm good at what I do."

"We agreed to lay low for a while," she said.

Her voice was softening. I winced as I moved to get off the bed. She moved forward, worried that I would fall. To be honest, I was feeling more than a little dizzy.

"Brian, you need to rest," she admonished. "I'm not kidding. You were hurt really badly."

"I'm fine," I insisted like I always did. "And I'm sorry. I'll be more careful from now on. I promise."

She let me lean forward and kiss her, but she still seemed bothered.

"Brian, I can't lose you," she said softly. "I don't think you understand that."

"No, Mia, I can't lose you either," I replied. "The worst moment in my life was when I told you that I had lied to you and I thought you would never forgive me. And when you went with Dom after the helicopter came for Vince. I thought I would never see you again. And it killed me."

She forced me to lie back down on the bed and then curled up next to me, cradling my head against her chest. There was a soft knock on the door and Dom came in. He looked relieved at the sight of me awake. I was slightly surprised that he cared so much. Sometimes it seemed like he still held a grudge about the fact that I'd been an undercover cop who had infiltrated his family. I never expected to actually be accepted as part of his family. Even though I was with his sister.

"Glad to see you're doing alright, O'Connor," he said, clearing his throat. "Everyone's been asking about you."

"When did you make it to Tokyo?" I asked.

"About fifteen minutes before you took off on your little mission," Dom replied. "Which is why I wasn't able to tell you that you were being stupid."

I laughed drily.

"If you ever try anything like that again, I'll break your neck."

But behind his harsh words, I could see how worried he had been. He nodded to me and then left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dom, there's something I need to talk to you about," I said, leaning against a table nearby where he was working.

Han had let him get his hands into some of his cars and it was the best way that Dom knew of to distract himself. Mia was with Letty so she hadn't been able to protest at my being out of bed.

"What's up?" Dom asked, keeping his eyes on the car.

"Mia needs to go home."

"You know we can't do that."

"We can find a way. We need to. For Mia," I said firmly. "She needs the comfort of a place she knows. And there is no way that we're going to raise a kid like this; constantly moving around from place to place in fear of people hunting us down."

"Brian, you know the second that either of us sets foot over the border, we'll be arrested," Dom said, putting down the wrench and the rag that he was holding. "And then it's 25 years to life. Don't get me wrong, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for my sister, and I don't doubt that you would make it too. But do you really think that Mia would let us do that? She'd rather spend her entire life running than be without either of us."

"She wants the family back, sitting eating in the backyard, watching us work on cars, living in a trailer for the race wars weekends. She wants our old life back, minus the illegal activities," I said. "I want to be able to give that to her. Maybe I can work out a deal with the government or something. But I have to try."

"It's a mistake," he replied.

He turned back to fiddling with the engine. I knew he was probably right, but I hated seeing Mia unhappy. I knew she was trying to hide it. And she was hiding it better than Letty was, but still.

Mia walked out into the garage at that moment.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked.

She crossed to my side and put an arm around my waist.

"Old times," I said with a smile. "And horrible tuna sandwiches."

She laughed. I loved hearing that sound more than anything else. A close second was the purr of an engine. She leaned into me and kissed me along my jawline.

"It wasn't a bad neighborhood," Mia said. "And it was fun to go street racing once in awhile. I prefer that to all the guns and car chases that happen now."

Dom and I exchanged a glance but stayed silent.

"Maybe one day we'll go back," she mentioned, attempting to sound casual.

I could hear the longing in her voice. So could Dom.

"Promise me you'll come inside and rest in a couple minutes?" Mia asked. "I don't want you injuring yourself again."

I nodded and kissed her before watching her walk back inside. Dom just looked at me for a couple of seconds.

"I'll call a few people and see what I can do," he said finally.

My phone started ringing and I stepped away to answer it.

"Brian O'Connor."

"Who is this?" I demanded.

"Believe me, this is the last conversation I would like to be having right now," the gruff voice on the line said. "I have a proposal for you. And it would mean full pardon for you and Toretto if you can pull it off."

"How do I know that you can even guarantee that?" I said. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I work for the DSS, and yes, I can guarantee that. My name is Hobbs. And you're not going to like the alternative to my proposal."

"What do you mean?"

I was nervous, but I tried not to let it show in my voice. The DSS was serious stuff and this guy sounded like he had control.

"I have men surrounding you right now. You and your little 'family'. And it would be so easy to just give the order to take you out rather than go to the trouble to haul all of you back to the US for a trial and to let you spend the rest of your sorry lives in prison," Hobbs said with an unamused laugh.

I frantically signalled to Dom and he ran into the house. I hoped to keep Hobbs slightly distracted while Dom found a way to get everyone out safely. I ran over to the window to look out and winced at the pain in my abdomen. I stayed off to the side of the window so I wouldn't be an easy shot. But I could easily pick out Hobbs' men.

"So what's the deal?" I asked.

"First of all, you stop your little escape attempt and come with me," he said. "Then we'll talk."

"If you think we're going to willingly turn ourselves in, you're wrong," I snapped.

"I never said willingly. That's just the recommended course of action. I know that even if they try to escape, I'll still get you. An injured person won't make it far on the run."

I took a deep breath and turned away from the window.

"What is it that you want me to do for you?"


End file.
